Did France end efforts for intra-Kurdish rapprochement in Syria?

The Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria (KDP-S) announced Aug. 1 that French endeavors toward Kurdish-Kurdish rapprochement have come to a halt.

The political report of the party stated, “Regarding the endeavors and efforts toward achieving a form of consensus or understanding on shared issues between the Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNC/ENKS) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), we, the KDP-S and the KNC confirm that no meeting has ever been held except for what happened in Paris and only once through the mediation of France. We also assert that these endeavors stopped a while ago because the PYD did not cooperate in the issue of the abductees and the politically and judicially pursued members. France asked the PYD to clarify its stance vis-a-vis the detainees after receiving a detailed list of their names and the date of their abduction.” The KNC and the PYD had met in Paris in April.

In a video report by al-Arabiya channel on June 18, PYD leader Saleh Muslim praised the initiative of France and the international coalition to unite Kurds in Syria. In the same report, Mohammad Ismail, a KDP-S political bureau officer, said that they accept the French initiative, as it fulfills its purpose and ensures dialogue and rapprochement.

Mohsen Taher, member of the KDP-S political bureau and head of the local councils of the KNC, told Al-Monitor, “Since the start, we gave the French mediators our remarks that pave the way for measures to build trust. They were positive and showed understanding. But, neither we nor the French felt the PYD were serious regarding the discussed issues.”